Genealogy & Family Stories
 

My aunt Rita is the family genealogist and historian. She has spent her entire life compiling our family tree, as well as collecting historic documents, letters, photographs, stories, etc. She compiles them into large tomes as well as CD-ROMs and ships them out to the whole family. I love her for it, because they are filled with amazing stories that I never would have known if it weren't for her.

This thread is for you to share any genealogical information you'd care to, as well as favorite family stories. I'll do some of the former later, when I get home (that's where the books are), but I thought I'd get the ball rolling with the latter. I briefly told the story of how my great-grandfather got rich flying bat [censored] from Mexico to Hawaii for use as fertilizer on the sugar cane plantations, before losing it all with the advent of artificial fertilizers (that was the inspiration for this thread), so I'll start with another one.

My father tells this story, and it's one of my favorites. When he was a young boy, something like 8 or 10 (this would be around 1940, give or take), my grandfather would take him and his brother to the Army-Navy game every year. My grandfather was a Captain in the Navy (in fact he commanded a ship in WWII), so of course he would go to the game in full regalia.

It happened that my grandfather had just purchased a brand new shiney black sedan, a Packard if I remember the story correctly, and had polished it up in preparation for driving to the game. They lived outside of DC, and the game was in Philly, I think, so it was a bit of a drive. So granddad packed up the boys in the back of the Packard and hit the road.

He pulled onto the highway behind a long line of shiney black sedans, flanked by police motorcycle escort. One of the motorcycle cops dropped back and maneuvered up to the driver's window. Granddad rolls down the window and puts his arm on the edge as he leans out to hear what the cop is trying to say to him.

The cop sees the full dress uniform, the sleeve and shoulder full of gold braid and the chest full of ribbons and medals. He doesn't say a word, and waves my grandfather up to the back of the line of cars, and he and the other motorcycle cop in the back dropped back to flank his car.

And that's how my dad got to ride to the Army-Navy game in the Presidential Motorcade.

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

My family name, duh, is Fox. But it's a made-up name. The first member of my family to come from the old country (Poland) came over in 1918. Illiterate, he signed an "X" at Ellis Island. They needed a real name for the records, so the easiest thing to teach him was "Fox," as he already knew the "x."

Or so the story goes, as my grandmother told it to me. She came over with my father, who was 20 months at the time, in 1921. My dad worked two jobs and became a lawyer, going to St. John's and NYU at night. But before that he was in New Guinea during WWII, Army Corps of Engineers. He is the least competent engineer on the face of the earth. Or maybe second, behind me. Yet he was first seargeant, and entertained General MacArthur by showing his group's prowess in transferring a tank from the beach onto MacArthur's transportation ship. Oops, they just missed, dropping the tank into the sea. Somehow we won the war anyway.

My dad was going to go to officer's school when he reached up to get his clothes off a shelf and heard a ripping sound. Turns out it was his arms, some mysterious jungle skin disease. Back to the states and six weeks at Letterman General at the Presidio and by that time the war was over.

My dad's still going strong at 87, plays golf twice a week (came within six shots of his age last week), has a girlfriend ("She's young," he told me, but I found out she was married for 57 years the first time she was married), stayed out 'til 2AM on New Year's, drives (not well, but I made him give up his Cadillac for a small Ford), and tells me he's not afraid of dying, it's how he's going to die that scares him.

His official birthday is November 18. But his mom remembered (and his aunt confirmed) that he was born the day before a Jewish holiday. We went back and checked and it turns out it was October 18.

I have pictures of both of my parents' families where my dad and mom's mothers are babies in the lap of their mothers; one taken in Poland, the other in Russia. I figure they're from the 1890s. My mom always said her family must have had money, otherwise they couldn't have afforded the photograph, but I don't know if that's the case.

My mom's birthday is coming up, I'm going to go talk to her, as I always do. I didn't talk to her enough when she was alive. I doubt this makes up for it, but who knows.

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

My great great....grandfather is Andrew Jackson, the guy on the $20 bill.

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

Awesome story boychik [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

I'm at work right now, so I don't really have time for a long detailed description of my genealogy. But, there are a few interesting facts about my family.

I'm related to the guy who started Harrah's Casinos. He is my great great great uncle or something like that. And no, I haven't received a dime from it, and I really don't expect to either.

The other side of my family is old money from Philadelphia. In fact, I am directly related to Ben Franklin, as a female member of my family was one of his mistresses and had an illegitimate child with him. Also, my great great... grandfather was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are two circular fountains in front of the museum, and one is dedicated to him. My great grandmother started the Garden Club of America, too.

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

FYI, http://www.ellisisland.org/ is a free site that you can do some research on your family name, you can even pull up a picture of the ship your ancestors came over on, if it is in the manifests.

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

In theory I am related to both (horrible) Harrison predidents. The geneogly on that side of the family is horrible and messy, so there's no way to confirm this for sure.

On my mom's side I'm related to Daniel Boone's second wife, which is mostly amusing because most people don't realize he really existed.

I've yammered often about my grandfathers (who are big deals in their fields, but not to anybody else) so I won't anymore.

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

i just wish everyone was more like andy fox

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

Eh, I'm related through my maternal grandmother to the last emperor of China. She was some sort of princess in China (before communism obv.) and is a descendant of the last emperor's sibling (sister? brother?). So I'm probably like 16,452 in line for the throne when we overthrow the oppressors and take back my kingdom!

Re: Genealogy & Family Stories
 

A few other notes, in my attempt to be more like Andy.

When the relative on my mother's side was at Ellis Island, his name was Nells Nelson. He was told that there were too many Nelsons and changed his last name to Ostrom.

My grandfather was born two months early and apparently kept alive in a shoe box in a warming oven. (there's no way this is exactly true, and it's now accepted that somebody was [censored] before marriage, but I would buy that he was still premature).